Release of data paused as the central bank investigates
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) has delayed the release of key lending statistics after falling victim to a cyberattack earlier this month.
The central bank revealed that its file sharing system, provided by US tech firm Accellion, was illegally accessed in the first weeks of January, potentially compromising sensitive commercial and personal information collected from regulated agencies.
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In an email to Reuters, the RBNZ said that it will postpone the release of the latest statistical data on new mortgage commitments, bank customer lending, non-bank lending institutions, and retail interest rates as it investigates the incident.
“We will provide an updated release calendar when we can, but we expect delays of three to four weeks to most publications,” RBNZ said in its email.
In a statement, Adrian Orr, governor of the RBNZ, said that the system that was breached has been secured and closed and that the central bank remained “open for business.”
“We apologise unreservedly to all of those impacted by the breach,” said Orr. “In addition to the forensic cyber investigation currently underway, we have appointed an independent third party to undertake a comprehensive general review of this incident. We will be as transparent and clear as possible as this progresses, and will release the review’s terms of reference shortly.”
